1 - hiss golden messenger - hallelujah anyhow
man this record has meant a lot to me since it came out. singer mc taylor sings about faith and struggle, nothing sugar coated at all. this time around, the folk is more countrypolitan with plenty of horns and keyboards, but the lyrics are as profound as ever. i don't like any other band that sounds like this, but the sincerity and beauty that shows up here has to make it my top rated album of the year
2 - daddy issues - deep dream
i saw these guys before their record came out and loved them, but i was never prepared for how amazing deep dream would be. these 10 songs run 90s heartache through fuzz and catchy melodies, and it never gets old. "just like you / so far removed / passing you by / i'm high as hell / i'm the girl on the moon" what else needs to be said?
3 - pissed jeans - why love now
good gravy is this album good, one of the only male voices these days that speaks to me. lots of self-hate, complicated thoughts, plenty of grungy slop on top to make you feel crazy after repeated listens. the highlight for me is a truly insane song called "i'm a man" where author lindsay hunter exposes the archetype of the male id using every office max sexual innuendo in the book.
4 - sheer mag - need to feel your love
super tough rockers from philly follow a few amazing singles with a stellar album. every song is off the chain, low-fi with more hooks than a tackle box
5 - sick thoughts - songs about people you hate
this guy makes authentic self hating punk look so easy. 17 minutes of angst, loathing, and scum bag rock that will leave you scanning discogs to see how to complete your collection. my favorite jam is called "wasting my youth," a kick ass song about being bored, being too young, too weird, etc to do anything but languish in misery.
6 - banshee - caw
i stumbled upon this record by chance and man its been virtually NAILED to the turntable since. snotty rock ala stooges with plenty of interesting guitar parts and definitely amazing lyrics. the album opener "wave to the police" is a snarling epic of a jam with so much vile and anti-authority attitude it is LITERALLY impossible not to want to take it to the streets after the first listen
7 - knowso - look at the chart
garage punk mini lp on the amazing NECK CHOP records. every time some new yuppie scum artisanal whatever opens up in my beloved denver i just want to blast "me and my friends town" - "i keep seeing you around - why? THIS IS MY TOWN." thats right you jackasses
8 - joint d# - intelligence
i'm pretty sure these guys are either from va or nc but either way they totally RIP IT UP on every album. pounding, urgent punk songs that totally capture what it is like to be living in the joke of this modern age in America. ARE YOU NORMAL?
9 - power trip - nightmare logic
i didn't get into this dallas, tx metal outfit's first record but this one is amazing. total thrash, reminiscent of the best from metallica, anthrax, death, etc. i can't get enough of it, there's enough catchy riffs and power chords on this thing to have any true metal head pumping up his or her reeboks and hitting the pit pronto
10 - thievery corporation - the temple of i and i
i've been a big fan of these guys since the 90s, and this newest record is one of the best they've ever released. radical and spiritual, hazy and direct. throw this one on and vibe your way into another dimension
thanks for reading -and WELCOME TO
